UK soldier 'fired at twitching bodies'

A BRITISH soldier fired a volley of bullets into the "twitching" bodies of Iraqis after a firefight, a public inquiry has heard.

Former army private Duncan Aston told the Al-Sweady Inquiry he also saw a fellow private stamp on the head of a dead Iraqi, and other comrades punch and kick a detainee.

But he did not report the incidents, because he did not want to "grass" on his friends, he said.

The Al-Sweady Inquiry is examining allegations that British troops mistreated and unlawfully killed Iraqi detainees after the Battle of Danny Boy in southern Iraq in May 2004.

The inquiry on Wednesday heard that an "angry" sergeant emptied a magazine into the bodies of Iraqis during the battle of Danny Boy on May 14, 2004.

Aston, who was serving with the 2nd Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (2PWRR), said his platoon sergeant demanded his weapon from him then opened fire on the bodies.

Aston, who had since left the army, also described seeing a fellow private stamp on the body of a dead Iraqi, and other comrades kick a detainee while he was held in a derelict building on the battlefield.

It is claimed that 20 or more Iraqis were unlawfully killed at Camp Abu Naji (CAN) near Majar-al-Kabir on May 14 and 15 2004, and detainees were ill-treated there and later at Shaibah Logistics Base.

But the Ministry of Defence has denied the allegations, saying bodies handed back to Iraqis had died on the battlefield and been taken back to CAN.

Aston, whose nickname was "Trigger", told the inquiry he was sent from nearby Camp Condor after a "rover group" was ambushed as it travelled to CAN.

In a witness statement to the inquiry, he described how, after a firefight with Iraqi insurgents, he was collecting weapons from dead gunmen in a ditch when he noticed two were "twitching".

He said the men appeared to be "somewhere between life and death" but looked past the point of first aid.

Aston recalled his platoon sergeant, Paul Kelly approach the ditch "looking very angry" and try to fire at one of the twitching men, but his weapon did not work.

"He then threw his rifle to the ground and said words to the effect of 'give me your weapon'."

"He put a full magazine of bullets into both bodies that had been twitching but he also fired into the bodies of the other dead gunmen in the ditch."

Sgt Kelly gave the gun back, and the incident was not mentioned between them again, he said.

Earlier this week, Colonel Adam Griffiths said he had not heard anything about detainees being mistreated, and dismissed claims that bodies had been mutilated as "baseless rumours".

Sergeant James Gadsby, who helped unload the Iraqi bodies that were taken back to CAN, said he did not see any injuries on them that did not look like they had been sustained on the battlefield.